have an avo

I love avocadoes. They were Sylvia Plath's favourite fruit and they are up there with my top 3! Avocadoes get a bit of a bad rap sometimes with the fat police, but fat (and good fat at that) is not the only thing they have in them, they are bursting with other nutrients! About 75% of an avocado's calories come from fat, most of which is monounsaturated fat. Avocados also have 60% more potassium than bananas. They are rich in B vitamins, as well as vitamin E and vitamin K. They also have the highest fibre content of any fruit - including 75% insoluble and 25% soluble fibre. They are a great meat substitute in the vegetarian/vegan diet as well.

I have so many favourite ways to eat avocado, including:

• Mashed on toast with salt and pepper, for a snack or for breakfast (sometimes I add some grilled rashers of vegetarian bacon - the saltiness with the avocado is quite delicious!)
• In a salad - last week I made a rocket, beetroot, goats cheese and avocado salad and it was truly divine
• Mashed up in a wrap with spicy vegetarian mince and salad leaves
• In "hangover eggs" (recipe coming soon!)
  

But lately my favourite avocado recipe - and recipe is used in loose terms, it's more just mashing together a list of ingredients - is this guacamole. This is a very simple but just lovely dip to have in the hot weather and makes a change from my usual hummous. Like all fats, I enjoy avocado in moderation so it's not an every day snack by any means, but I've particularly enjoyed it lately when entertaining or after I've done a 10k training run where I want something fresh tasting and everything in the fruit bowl is looking a bit feral :P

I love to serve this with crunchy delicious carrots, as shown.

Skinny Guacamole

1 large avocado
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh lemon juice
Sweet chilli sauce to taste
Pinch of ground coriander
2 tablespoons Kewpie mayonnaise** or (lighter alternative) low fat mayonniase or fat-free greek yoghurt [if you're counting points, you can leave this ingredient out but I like how creamy it makes it]

Cut the avocado in half carefully. Remove the stone, but keep it if you're making it in advance, as putting the stone in the dip keeps it green!

Scoop out the flesh into a bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and mash up with a fork to desired consistency. Taste and make sure you're happy with the seasonings. Then dig in with your carrot sticks.

It's so easy, and great for entertaining - everyone loves it!

** Japanese mayonnaise, made with rice vinegar, which has a lovely piquancy that I can't quite describe and is definitely my mayonnaise of choice. In London you can buy it at the Japan Centre in Piccadilly, or online.